The Governor's School of Texas, formerly the Texas Honors Leadership Program (THLP), is a summer program for academically talented

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

students from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, who have completed their sophomore or

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

years. The program is a member of the

National Conference of Governor's Schools The National Conference of Governor's Schools (NCoGS) is a United States national organization committed to establishing, supporting, and enriching summer residential governor's school programs. Its members are individuals involved in maintaining ...

. 100 students are selected each year and scholars, who are nominated by their senior counselors, are invited to serve as junior counselors for the following year. Held at

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the fall of 2021, t ...

in Beaumont, Texas, the School is an intensive three-week residential program. The program's curriculum is designed to develop skills in

creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed Literature ...

problem-solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

leadership Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...

negotiation Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement c ...

and

conflict resolution Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abo ...

, higher-level thinking, research and study skills and ethical decision-making. As an incentive to foster creativity, the program includes no grades or academic credit. After classes conclude each afternoon, scholars participate in artistic and athletic activities, including

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

, dance, instrumental ensemble,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

, cross country,

strength training Strength training or resistance training involves the performance of physical exercises that are designed to improve strength and endurance. It is often associated with the lifting of weights. It can also incorporate a variety of training te ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, football,

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

History

The

Texas Education Agency The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is the branch of the government of Texas responsible for public education in Texas in the United States.

(TEA) established the Office of

Gifted and Talented Education Gifted education (also known as gifted and talented education (GATE), talented and gifted programs (TAG), or G/T education) is a broad group of special practices, procedures, and theories used in the education of children who have been identified a ...

in 1976 and developed the first state plan for Gifted Education in 1981 and funded the Texas Governor's Honors Program. From 1986 until 1988, the program was held at the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...

, and in 1989, the program was not held. The Texas Commissioner of Education Dr. Tom Kirby asked Dr. Sisk at Lamar University to plan and develop a Governor's Honors Program, and from 1990–1999 the Texas Governor's Honors Program was held at Lamar. Funding from the Texas Education Agency was withdrawn for 2000–2002; however, Lamar University decided to continue the program by seeking funding from private foundations and individual donors to support the program; and the program was renamed the Texas Honors Leadership Program. In 2008, once again under funding by the TEA, the program reemerged as the Texas Governor's School. As of 2010, there are 4 Governor's School programs in the state of Texas.

Lamar University

The Texas Governor's School for Leadership Development at

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

is a free three week residential program with focus on leadership in the

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

Language Arts Language arts (also known as English language arts or ELA) is the study and improvement of the arts of language. Traditionally, the primary divisions in language arts are literature and language, where language in this case refers to both lingu ...

, Mathematics, Fine Arts, and

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

. Eligible participants are Texas residents who complete the sophomore or junior year of high school, is enrolled in a tenth or eleventh grade state approved program for gifted students or was in a state approved honors or advanced placement course; or displays outstanding achievement and performance.

Texas A&M University-College Station

The Texas Governor's School in Arts and Humanities for Urban Leadership at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

in College Station is a free three-week, intensive residential summer educational program. The program is open to high achieving high school students who complete the sophomore or junior year of high school. "High Achieving" must be documented in the application essays by any one or more of the following: top ten percent of high school class; active participation in a gifted and talented program; outstanding scores on achievement tests or TAKS test; leadership in school organizations; leadership in community organizations; significant accomplishments in the arts and humanities.

University of North Texas

In 2003, another Governor's school, focusing on

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

, The Texas Governor's School in Mathematics and Science, was established at the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School, ...

in Denton. A 3-week program, the School focuses on enriching and developing a student's abilities in science and technology as well as exploring the impacts of these fields on past, present, and future societies including

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

, and

the arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

In 2009, the Texas Higher Education Commission awarded a 3-year grant to

in Corpus Christi to establish a 3-week residential summer program for 100 gifted and talented high school students who are interested in teaching the subjects of science and math. The Governor's Academy for Teaching Excellence (GATE) will commence on July 12. Located on the gulf of Mexico, the Island University's program features excursions on research vessels, field trips to the Texas State Aquarium and the national seashore, and the exclusive "kids college" school within a school. You can link to GATE at: gate.tamucc.edu.

External links

Lamar University - Texas Governor's School

References

{{reflist Educational organizations based in Texas Governor's Schools